With Just Days Before the Election, New Poll has Michigan Marijuana Initiative Leading 57% to 41%

According to a new poll released just days before the November 6 general election, a strong majority of likely Michigan voters support Proposition 1 to legalize marijuana.

The poll, commissioned by Free Press and conducted by the polling firm EPIC/MRA, found that 57% of Michigan voters support Proposition 1, with 41% opposed. Only 2% are undecided on the issue. The numbers are almost identical to a Free Press poll released in September, which found support for Prop 1 at 56%.

“Even though there are some law-enforcement groups and others that are putting out information against the proposal, it seems to have pretty solid support,” says Bernie Porn, president of EPIC/MRA. “There has always been a perception that there are far too many people in jail for a minimal amount of use and that it prohibits the police from spending time on more serious crimes.”

Josh Hovey, spokesman for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (the group behind Prop 1, said “the public recognizes that prohibition causes more harm than the product itself and that regulation and taxation is the way we need to go.”

If Proposition 1 is passed by voters next week, anyone 21 and older would be allowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana, or up to 10 ounces at a private residence. They would also be allowed to grow up to 12 marijuana plants. In addition, the initiative would establish a licensed and regulated system of marijuana retail outlets, with marijuana receiving a 10% excise tax in addition to the standard 6% sales tax.